Wrong-Way Driver Near Downtown Joliet Tracked Down By Joliet Police, Several Charges Filed: English

JOLIET, IL — A Joliet police officer on routine duty saw something dangerous and peculiar during Tuesday night's patrols in the downtown area — a motorist was driving the wrong way, endangering the lives of countless people, according to police.

According to Joliet police spokesman Dwayne English, at 9:03 p.m., an officer on patrol saw a Ford F-150 traveling the wrong way westbound on Jefferson Street from Eastern Avenue,
which is designated as one-way for eastbound traffic.

Several eastbound vehicles were forced to pull to the side of the roadway to avoid a collision with the truck, English noted.

The officer conducted a traffic stop on the truck near Jefferson Street and Mayor Art Schultz Drive and identified the driver as 64-year-old Joliet resident Mitchell Van Driska.

During the stop, officers saw signs indicating that Van Driska may have been impaired by alcohol, English said.

He admitted to consuming alcohol before driving and agreed to perform field sobriety tests, the arrest report showed.

Following the tests, Van Driska was taken into custody without incident and charged with DUI and reckless driving. He was also cited for driving the wrong way on a one-way street and operating an uninsured vehicle.

Van Driska was processed at the Joliet Police Department and released on a Notice to Appear in court. The vehicle was towed from the scene.